Steinbach Pistons’ big three taking MJHL by storm

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This article was published 12/10/2022 (1326 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

STEINBACH — The Steinbach Pistons are 9-1-0-0 and tied for top spot in the MJHL’s East Division.

There’s no surprise there.

Success has become almost permanently imprinted on the culture during Paul Dyck’s tenure as head coach and GM, but there’s a slightly different look for the Pistons in 2022-23.

The club’s scoring-by-committee approach, more routine in previous seasons, has given way to a more star-driven approach on offence.

The recently formed line of Davis Fry, centring left-winger Ty Paisley and right-winger Travis Hensrud has taken the MJHL by storm, combining for 23 goals and 55 points in 10 games while holding down the top three places in league’s scoring race with 19, 18 and 18 points, respectively.

And it seems as though the members of trio — which hasn’t been around long enough to earn a nickname — aren’t fussy about how the pucks go in.

“We’ve had a bunch of tip-ins, a bunch of greasy goals and we’ve had a couple of nice goals,” said a grinning Paisley before practice Wednesday, less than a day after potting his seventh goal and adding a pair of assists in an 8-0 thrashing of the host Winnipeg Blues. “It’s all kinds.”

Should Fry, Paisley and Hensrud continue at their current pace, they would become the first MJHL teammates to finish the regular season 1-2-3 in scoring since Jesse Sinatynski (93 points), Jon Gaudet (90 points) and Guillaume Naud (88 points) of the Dauphin Kings claimed the top three spots during a 60-game slate in 2012-13.

Dyck, who put Paisley and Fry together on the club’s No. 3 line with Dawson Milliken for the last half of 2021-22, might have used the combo again this fall had Milliken not suffered successive lower- and upper-body injuries.

Milliken, named team captain during the pre-season, remains sidelined while Fry, Paisley and Hensrud have terrorized rival defenders. Judging by some of the video evidence, the line plays like a pack of wolves on the hunt.

“We just felt like they were all hungry and kind of poised for a big season, so we experimented with putting them together and so far, so good,” said Dyck, now in his 10th season at the helm. “Things are going their way but they’ve been putting in a lot of hard work, too. We feel like there should be enough output from our other lines that we can keep them together.”

Fry, third in team scoring with 49 points last season, has been on a rapid development trajectory since accepting an NCAA scholarship offer from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa., 11 months ago.

“I think we all do our part,” said the 6-4, 195-pound Regina product. “Travis is the smallest guy but I’d say he’s the hardest worker. He has a speed, he has the grit for sure but I think we can all play the gritty game and we all have the skill. I think we’re on the same level. I think we all pass the puck and shoot the puck well. It doesn’t matter who’s in the corner — we’re always going to have the puck.”

All the early season success has had a predictable effect — closer attention from the opposition checkers, more stickwork intended to distract and line-matching. Paisley is unfazed.

“Me and Fry are obviously bigger, but we like to put the puck in the net as well and Henny’s just really fast and he uses his body, too,” said the 6-3 Steinbach product, who recently committed to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. “He doesn’t play like he’s small. He likes to hit, too…

“Obviously, we’re enjoying playing with each other, it’s lots of fun. We play a lot of the time in the O-zone, so obviously we’d like to keep that going.”

Hensrud, a 20-year-old, is still chasing an NCAA scholarship offer but he appears to be in a situation where his high-profile linemates can help him realize those aspirations.

“Frysie and Paisey are both really skilled guys and I feel like with my grit and speed and playmaking ability, we all gel quite well together,” said the 5-11 Thunder Bay, Ont., product. “And we can all shoot the puck really well.”

Having a dominant offensive line doesn’t mean the Pistons are lacking in secondary scoring.

Nate Goodbrandson and Leo Chambers have already scored six and five goals, respectively, while newly acquired 20-year-old forward Landon Roberts, a casualty of the WHL’s overage limit with the Swift Current Broncos, scored in his season debut Tuesday.

Roberts will add experience and size to Steinbach’s bid for the franchise’s third MJHL title and a subsequent berth in the Centennial Cup national championship tournament scheduled for Portage la Prairie in May.

Expect Fry, Paisley and Hensrud to have a major influence in how successful the Pistons will be.

“They’re ultimately going to decide how much they’re going to score this year, I suppose,” said Dyck. “But I don’t think we’re playing any differently. We have two power-play units. It’s not like their minutes are any higher than our top guys were in any other year. They’re just really taken advantage of their offensive opportunities right now.”

Fry doesn’t expect the tap to run dry anytime soon.

“The way we’re playing right now, I think we’re just getting started,” he said.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14